Busy in New York City, Venus and Serena Williams are at it again. Busily working their way through the Women’s Single and Doubles tennis matches…truly they are a force to be reckoned with.

Though injured…Venus limping and with a heavily bandaged knee…yet a true fighter all the way, she is refusing to give up…or in. Determined to not let a little thing like severe pain or a weak knee stop her from attempting to take yet another grand slam tournament title. While all the while…her little sister is hoping for the exact same thing.

Currently ranked Number 2 & 3 in the World of Female Tennis players…clearly Venus and Serena can be ranked right up there with all of the top all time tennis greats such as…Althea…Martina and Christie…and Billie…as being not only highly talented athletes…but gifted as well.

They really should be making lots more money for what they have managed to accomplished… not to mention for the beauty and excellence that they both have brought to the game of women’s tennis. Venus and Serena are truly endowed with that something. And I think that Billie Jean Kings says it best in the article linked below…if you care to read it.

UPDATE(September 7, 2009): Venus is out in the 4th rounds of the US Open…and Serena is still in after having won her match.

There is no doubt that going in…Venus knew that her shot at another championship was going to be an up-hill battle…due to the problem with her knee. But she didn’t let it deter her.

She went for it…and took the pain fighting her way through every round…every point…and every game. She didn’t cry about it. She went out there on the court knowing what it was that she had to if she wanted to make it into the finals…and she almost made it.

Packaged as the ‘all American girl’, Melanie Oudin an attractive young blonde from the deep south…is being touted at as ‘the Great White Hope.’ A tennis power house who may be able to do for those too shallow to feel that they can cheer whole heartedly for 2 young sisters born and raised in a ghetto in the worst side of Los Angeles, CA…known as Compton.

Yeah, they come from Compton…though they currently live in Florida. Compton with police helicopters patrolling the neighbors night and day…one of the toughest and most dangerous areas in L.A. The home of hard core rappers like Snoop Doggy Dog, Ice Cube, NWA…etc…etc. But yeah…it was the place of their humble tennis beginnings. And some how they beat those mean streets of southern California.

It is sad that since the days of Jack Johnson the heavy weight boxer of the 1930’s. ..many white people in this country still feel that it goes against their grain to totally except and celebrate anything or anyone but someone who looks like them. The same is even quite evident in how many in this country feel about Barack Obama. Many have yet to truly embrace him as President of this country. And are strongly oposed to him…and intended to do everything they can to make it as hard on him and his administration as possible…with a sincere desire to undermind his ever move and effort. This kind of thinking is truly sad…and quite sick.

Oh, sure they love to win the games and do take to the athletes who possess the skills to make it happen for their favorite teams. But it is the white players on the team that they make the coaches…move to the front of the team…and put in front of the TV and newspaper cameras…etc.

It is sad that as much as Venus and Serena Williams have managed to do…and from very humble beginnings…without the benefit of suburan country clubs and well kept tennis courts. They are a true American success story…and well worth celebrating and holding up before the world as the stars and champions that they truly and really are…and gracious and humble young women regardless of their vast success both on and off the tennis courts.

You can read the below story on Oudin by CLICKING the LINK below…to clearly understand my statements regarding this issue of ‘the Great White Tennis Hope.’

UPDATE:(September 8, 2009) Serena is on to the Semi-Finals…and the predictors are saying that she is on her way to taking her 3rd Grand Slam win this year…having take both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Turning 28 on the 28th of this month, Serena has won 11 Tennis Grand Slams, 2 Olympic gold medals and over $25 million…having become the first woman athlete to win over $22 million a few months ago. To date Serena has won the US Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008.

She and Venus are on their way to taking the Women’s Doubles at US Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open…etc…etc… Venus who is 29 years old…and yet they continue to keep reeling in the wins. And as a team they are unbeatable. CLICK the LINK BELOW to the full stop and to see video footage of the Open.

Didn’t know though that Venus and Serena are part owners of the Miami Dolphins. Wow…they are really smart. Not to mention being authors having written some books…Serena working on a screenplay…and Venus working doing interior designing and fashion. And I almost forget…Serena designing and selling jewelry (as you caught in the video above). But check out their videos below and Serena will tell you all about it herself.

I am really happy for them. I like to see successful people…and they also give back to their community via their tennis camp for inter-city youth. Bravo!

UPDATE:(Women’s Semi-Finals…September 13, 2009) Evidently Serena had some type of melt down today during her semi-final match against Kim Clijsters. Maybe it was bound to happen at some point or other. I mean how long can you just sit around…or go out one game after another…come out the winner and never get the claim or fame …or the real big bucks for having done so?

How many times can you get called the “N word” during a tournament…heckled…boo-ed…or look into the eyes of your opponents knowing what and how they really feel about you. On top of that…to be ignored by the tennis world in general…who run after the young blond haired girls with their batting blue eyes…with their microphones and cameras…and can’t seem to get enough of them. And they didn’t have to do half the work or win a game…but reap all the fame.

How long can you tolerate that…and not experience some type of emotional melt down?

It is unfortunate, because it is what they had been waiting. Something to tarnish your squeaky clean image…taint your name…some character fawl to justify why they haven’t cover you the way they cover your white opponents…plastered your face over all the popular magazines…or offered you some of those major big dollars advertising contracts.

Oh, they were waiting alright. And finally the right button was pushed…the straw that broke the camel’s back…and the flood gates burst open. And all those nasty little words started flowing out…and when the flood gates opened up…all you had been trying to hide and hold back for months just came rushing out.

It is not like melt downs haven’t happened during tennis tournaments before.

Who could tell you more about that than John McEnroe?

Who by the way said what amounted to that Serena’s behavior was shameful. This from a man who never walked out on the court without wild outbursts and one swear after another.

I am certainly not condoning Serena’s behavior…but I have seen a lot of black folk who after awhile just got plain fed up. And once they did… Well…you can figure out the rest.

Baby, it is just hard to contain them…until they get it all…and I do mean all…off their chest.

Serena’s apology…

I don’t know…I guess as we all get older we start to think more and more about our health. Maybe it has something to do with seeing others go through some many different kind of health issues…that we suddenly begin to think about our own mortality more and more.

Whatever the cause that brings us into a mind that we need to start taking better care of ourselves…it is all for our good. And hopefully for a better and healthier future…or for our continued good health.

As women our schedules, families, jobs…and various other choices all sometime supercede us taking care of us. But the truth of the matter is this…if we’re not in good health…nothing else can operate well either. And everything comes to a halt.

So, before that happens…now is a good time to start caring for you.

I now find myself listening to my body. Mostly, because my body now has began to make me listen to it. Whereas I used did not…I now have to. Otherwise, my body will put me out of commission for days…and I do mean days. And in a way it is like listening to your car.

Who doesn’t listen to their car?

Only a fool wouldn’t.

And that is how we should fell about listening to our bodies when it starts sending warning signals out to us.

In the link below…listed are some warning signs that women should pay close attention to in regards to on-coming heart attacks. One of the first keys to prevention is being informed. Information is important…then paying heed to it can be essential.

I set my glasses down the other day…then carelessly knocked them over onto the ground. While searching for them…I stepped on them. Now, I am working with a pair of broken eye-glasses. What a cross to bare…when I have so much work to do. And can barely read a thing with these lopesided glasses.

Spent my whole day…well, most of it outside today on my parent’s front porch reading. Well, as best I could…considering my delemma with my glasses.

But the weather was great…and I am trying to soak up as much of it as I can…as I believe that we will be in for a very cold winter this year. Sorry, I know your probably did not want to hear that.

So, I am already laying my plans for it. I only wished the fireplace worked. And it does…but I am afraid to lite a fire in it because I don’t want to burn down my parent’s house.

I have read and heard too many stories about faulty fireplaces to want to risk it.

Still looking very much forward to the day that my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE, rolls off the press.

So, I am going to go back to working on my website now that I have completed my book trailer for youtube. And I will also finish the radio commercial that I intend to air in various markets to promote my book. Since I have to wait…I might as well use this time well. Because when my book is finally pubished…I will have to hit the ground running. And I won’t have a moment to spare.